In agricultural transportation, hopper trailer customers/operators, can be divided in two main groups: Farmers and Commercial Haulers. The challenge that the trailer manufacturers face is that that each of these customer groups needs a trailer that fits their specific needs, and the needs of these two main customer groups regarding the trailer design and functionality, are different from each other. The 3 main parameters are i) loading capacity, ii) gate opening size, and iii) ground clearance, which influence each other in a negative way.
For the Farm operation the high ground clearance and the small gate opening has a higher priority than a high loading capacity. More particularly, farmers typically want significant clearance between the ground and the bottom of the hopper gate, and the gate opening should not exceed a certain size, for example approximately 24 inches by 24 inches. These parameters are needed in order to dump into the various types of receiving devices that they are unloading into such as augers, hoppers, elevator pits or conveyors to name a few. The gate opening can't be much bigger than 24 inches by 24 inches because most of the common conveyor belts and auger openings are within these dimensions. Another advantage for farmers in having the hoppers as high as possible is the better ground clearance to avoid trailer damage when driving thru the field or other rough terrain. This high ground clearance from the ground to the bottom of the hopper, and the small gate opening means a smaller hopper, which means less loading capacity, but this is a sacrifice they must make in order to have the clearance and smaller hopper openings.
What is an advantage for the farmer, however, is a disadvantage for the commercial hauler. The big clearance from the ground to the bottom of the hopper and the smaller gate means less loading capacity. For the commercial hauler, loading capacity has a higher priority than the ground clearance or hopper opening dimensions because they are typically hauling long distances on highways instead driving more frequently thru the field. Also the commercial hauler needs the gate opening as big as possible in order to unload with a higher speed. The priorities are the opposite of what the Farmer needs.
The different requirements of the two main customer groups are forcing trailer manufacturer to build two different trailers in order to satisfy both markets. In addition to this, users that are involved in both sectors often have to buy two different trailers. A used trailer will also only be attractive to the one customer group only.